Do Good – ways to help Superstorm Sandy victims

Watching the Hurricane Sandy coverage has been heartbreaking, but it especially hit home to me last weekend. My husband happened to talk to a client who lives in New Jersey and asks how she was doing. While she was safe, members of her immediate family had lost everything. She was trying to find ways to help them and planning on hosting 80 people for Thanksgiving alone. That same weekend, we had our first big snowfall of the year. Suddenly I didn’t take my cozy house for granted anymore.

And I decided to do something. So I pulled out all the random flannel fabric I had in my house and started putting together a few simple quilts. It seemed stupid to have so much fabric and not share something with people who’ve lost everything. I had tons of pinks and yellows leftover from when my girls were little. These quilts aren’t fancy, but they were fast. I made them ‘envelope’ style (sewed around the edges of fronts and backs right sides together with batting, turned right-side out and stiched the outside edges) and tied the centers. But they’re thick and warm, so hopefully they’ll do in a pinch.

This quilt is made from a bunch of flannel Fat Quarters from the Playdate collection by Dear Stella. I love those elephants! (You can find Playdate at Fat Quarter Shop) I hope this will go to a loving home. Again, nothing fancy. I cut each fat quarter into 3 strips 6.25″ x 18″ long. Mix up the prints to make blocks of 3 strips and square them up to 18″ (17.5″ finished). A fast way to make large blocks.

These baby quilts were made by my daughter. We started them ages ago (as in years) but it since we were going to town with the pink flannels, it felt like a good time to finally finish them. There’s one more in this set, but it’s still waiting to be finished hopefully tomorrow afternoon. They are made using this method for making 3 baby blankets at once that is super quick and easy – and a great project for teaching beginning sewers. I think she did a great job.

I’m realizing I need to do a better job not only making time to sit and teach my kids to sew, but to also make more time to help my kids my kids be more involved in doing good deeds.

I’m going to put these in the mail on Monday. If you’re looking for ways to help victims of Hurricane Sandy, Victoria of Bumble Beans has organized quilt collections and is actively delivering them to shelters and medical stations where they will go directly to people in need. Also Make It Better: Craftalong for Sandy Relief is collecting all kinds of warm items – including hats, mittens, blankets… Both groups have addresses where items can be mailed.

There are always lots groups in local communities looking to collect charitable projects for those in need during the holidays. If you are local here in Utah I know of two groups collecting fabric for blankets for service projects – both fleece and quilts. Email me at amy[at]diaryofaquilter[dot]com if you’d like contact info on either of those projects.

If you’re aware of other entities collecting quilts and similar donations, please feel free to leave them in the comments.

That is so wonderful that so many people are participating to help out those in need! <br /><br />I am feeling also for your husband&#39;s client and her family. I wish her and all the people on the east coast a safe and warm Thanksgiving! Hosting 80 people is hard, the most we had one year was around 65-70! <br /><br />The quilts are beautiful! 🙂

Amy, your quilts are beautiful, and they are going to make the recipients very happy! <br /><br />I am a resident of Long Beach, NY, and our house took on almost 2&#39; of water – it wasn&#39;t just sea water, but also sewage from the nearby plant. Gross. We lost most of our possessions but were able to save some clothes. I haven&#39;t had much time to read email, but I&#39;ve tried to feel a

Thank you so much for your amazing comment. You summed up what you are going through so well – and I&#39;m so glad that you did! It&#39;s important for us who can hardly imagine that kind of devastation and loss to really grasp all that&#39;s going on. It&#39;s just so hard to fathom!<br /><br />I&#39;m so sorry about your home. I just can&#39;t imagine what you are facing. <br />Sending love

Don&#39;t you worry Amy, those quilts will be loving accepted and greatfully appreciated and they will go on to become part of someone else&#39;s story. There can never be too many good works done and if we all did a little then there would be a massive chsangein our world.

Amy I am doing the same thing this weekend it seems crazy to have all of this fabric around and not do something to give people a little warmth and comfort.Your quilts look so nice and cozy! Our guild in Portland has found two great groups collecting quilts specifically for Sandy relief one is QUILTS AND BLANKETS ASAP! hosted by Moda and Victoria Findlay Wolfe the other is The Rockaway Renegades

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